


Santa Tell Me (If You're Really There)

by ginatoldmeso



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Children, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Motherhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 07:37:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginatoldmeso/pseuds/ginatoldmeso
Summary: What do you tell your daughter when she asks if Santa Claus is real?





	Santa Tell Me (If You're Really There)

[Originally posted by theblackmegadeus](https://tmblr.co/Zbec4l2Xef3P-)

“… and then she said that Santa wasn’t real!”. Your daughter’s tiny fists clenched, as she tried to hold back the tears.

You hesitated, unsure of what to do. Maybe telling the truth was the best thing to do, in this case. Maybe that way her classmate would stop messing with her. Or maybe not.

You bit your lower lip, before speaking in a gentle voice. “Honey, who cares what that girl thinks? Of course, Santa is real! Who do you think brings all those presents?”

“But she said it’s the parents who buy them! She told me I’m stupid because I still believe in Santa”

Big teardrops started running down her cheeks and she angrily wiped them with her sleeve. She was a tough kid, your daughter. But she was also delicate, as was her name. You had named her Freya, after the Norse goddess of love and war. The first time you had held her in your arms was both the happiest and the scariest day of your life.

“Oh, my”, you murmured, hugging the little girl tightly and caressing her hair. You turned to Brunnhilde, who was staring at her in concern but quickly met your eyes. “A little help, here?”, you mouthed.

Finally, your wife got up and knelt so that she was almost at the same eye level as the girl.

“Hey, look at me”, she smiled softly as she tilted up Freya’s chin. “Next time that girl calls you stupid, you punch her in the face. I can teach you how to do that-  _Ouch!_ ”. Brunnhilde’s glared at you as soon as your elbow hit her arm. “What?!”

“You’re. Not. Helping. Not one bit”, you hissed through your teeth, and she rolled her eyes.

“Why? I’m just saying, no one should make our baby feel bad and get away with it”

You purse your lips in a clear attempt to keep a straight face. Your wife tended to be fiercely protective when it came to you or Freya, and you couldn’t help but find it amazingly cute.

“I know, babe, but you can’t tell her to go around and punch people in the face!”

“I’m not saying she should _injure_  her, just let her know not to mess with a half-Valkyrie”, shrugged Brunnhilde.

“Lord, help me”, you sighed, closing your eyes for a second.

You absent-mindedly wondered if all the Valkyries were like that. Even someone as patient as you struggled when dealing with Brunnhilde, despite being her wife and loving her deeply.  

You gazed at your daughter once again. “Sweetie, listen. First of all, you’re not stupid. You’re smart and kind, and we love you very much. Secondly, you did the right thing by telling us about this instead of picking up a fight. Standing up to bullies is important, but you can’t fight fire with fire”

“Says who?”, scoffed Brunnhilde, and the glance you threw at her was so threatening that her cocky smile wavered.

“ _We_  do.”

“Oh, right… Yes, we’re very proud of you”, she assured to Freya with an over-enthusiastic thumbs-up. The little girl chuckled, and you joined her.

“Also, remember that no one can tell you what you should or shouldn’t believe and that you should never be ashamed to stand up for what you think is your truth. Okay?”

Freya seemed thoughtful for a moment. Then she solemnly nodded.

“Okay. But can I put chewing gum in my classmate’s hair, since you said not to fight?”

“No”. As the word left your lips in a stern voice, Brunnhilde yelled “Oh, absolutely” before bursting into laughter.

“Hilde!”

The woman snickered as you stared at her in disbelief, with your hands on your hips and a marked line between your brows.

“Kidding. You heard your mum. You can’t fight fire with fire. I mean, you  _could_ -”, she observed, earning herself another dirty look before she could even finish the phrase, “- but you shouldn’t. Just ignore that girl, let her talk. I was born millennia ago, I have a magic sword and I ride a flying horse, for Odin’s sake. Does this Santa Claus fellow sound so incredible to you?”

Freya burst into amused giggles, and the corner of Brunnhilde’s mouth quirked up as she observed the girl with affection.

As soon as she was done laughing, your daughter looked at you. “Can I bring uncle Loki to school? He’s gonna scare all the bullies”

A heartfelt laughed erupted from your lips, while your wife’s smile morphed into mock disgust.

“I’m sure he’d love to hear this”

##  *********

[Originally posted by nicholsmorello](https://tmblr.co/ZunABt2VFaBby)

You huffed, closing the book you were holding. After the tenth time reading the same page, you had realized that the best thing you could do was talking about what had been bothering the whole day.

“Babe?”, you called softly, hoping that Brunnhilde wasn’t asleep already. She was lying with her eyes shut, and her head rested on your stomach.

“Mmh?”

Her eyes remained closed, but you knew she was listening. You chewed your lip, nervously. You didn’t know how to phrase your thoughts without sounding too worried, but it was Brunnhilde you were talking to. She would’ve sensed something was off, she always did.

You inhaled sharply before blurting, “D’you think our kid will be alright?”

A half-smile graced your wife features, and even at that moment, you found yourself admiring how stunningly beautiful she was. “She’s gonna do great. She might not have my blood in her veins, but she’s fiercer than any god I’ve ever met”

“I know, but…”, your voice trailed off mid-sentence and Brunnhilde’s eyes immediately opened.

“What are you worried about?”, she inquired with a frown, but when you didn’t reply she sat up and gently stroked your cheek. “Darling, what is it?”

You let out a long sight, locking your eyes with hers.

“I’m scared that she’s too much like me”. Brunnhilde chuckled at your confession.

“Stubborn and beautiful?”

“I’m serious, Hilde. God knows I love that she’s so sweet and caring, but I also know how hard it is to always assume the best of people. I’m trying to teach her to choose her own battles and stand up for herself, but the truth is, it took me years and years to learn how to do that!”

Brunnhilde stayed silent for a moment, never looking away from you. Then she tilted her head. “So?”

“What do you mean, so?! I don’t want my baby to get hurt”, you mumbled, making her chuckle.

“You can’t protect her from everything”

“I know, but-”

“Love, I get the impression that you’re tremendously overthinking this”, Brunnhilde cut you off by raising her eyebrow. “There’s no need for you to be so concerned. It’s true she has your good heart, but she has your strength as well”

You were about to shake your head so you diverted your gaze, but she forced you to meet her eyes once again by gently grabbing your chin. “You’re much more resilient than you think. It’s one of the things I love the most about you”, she smiled.

There was a lovely glint in her eyes, and for a moment you were distracted by her curled lips. The happiness in her expression was so genuine that your lips moved of their own accord to mirror her smile.

“Mmmh… That so?”

“Definitely. Also, for real, you’re breathtaking”, she added, causing you to giggle. “Our daughter is gonna be fine. And we’ll be right there with her”

She moved a rebel strand of hair behind your ear, and you leant to gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. You lied down and cuddled for a while, with Brunnhilde’s face buried in the crook of your neck and her warm breath tickling your skin.

Suddenly you frowned, realizing something. “What kind of parents tell a 5-year-old that Santa isn’t real?”

“Morons, I reckon”, shrugged Brunnhilde. After a second she snorted, “It would be entertaining to send them Santa’s head in a box”

“…Yeah, know what, I’m not even gonna touch that”

“That was a joke. I would never do that, of course, I like presents. But if that kid keeps messing with our child, I might just kidnap Santa to give her proofs”

You laughed at her threatening tone. “I’m pretty sure that kidnapping Santa automatically makes you end up on the naughty list”

“That’s true. Well, I could always just ask him for a picture or something of the sort. I’m sure Heimdall will have no problems finding him”, she observed before noticing your expression. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m trying to figure out whether you’re sarcastic or not, because for some reason you sounded deadly serious”

Her forehead furrowed and she gave you a blank stare. “About what?”

For the second time in a day, you felt unsure whether to lie or not. “Babe- You  _do_ know that Santa isn’t real, right?”

Brunnhilde’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What are you saying?”

“He’s not an actual person… He’s part of folklore, you know”, you hesitantly tried to explain, and you could clearly read the shock on her face.

“Come again?”, she growled, “Then  _why_  on Odin’s name have we been lying to our daughter for  _5 bloody years_?!”

“Well, cause knowing the truth takes out all the fun of celebrating Christmas! It’s way more magical this way, I don’t want her to lose that”

“But- wait a moment, then explain this: who brings all those presents every year?”

“I do. Our friends, too. Mostly Tony, but yeah, let’s pretend it’s a group effort…”, you shrugged. You glanced at your wife, amused by her incredulity. “Hilde, did you  _seriously_  think that a magical chubby guy broke into our house every year to leave you combat boots and lingerie?”

“So what? He really knew my tastes, I figured it had to be someone magical”, she pouted, and a quiet chuckle escaped your lips. “Don’t make fun of me! We have loads of magic on Asgard, it didn’t seem so strange to me”

You were definitely laughing, now, you couldn’t stop yourself. “I know, I’m sorry but-”

“ _Stop. Laughing_ ”, she hissed through gritted teeth.

She was trying to sound menacing but it only made you laugh more. It took you a full minute to get a hold of yourself, and you flashed her an apologetic smile.

“You’re right, babe, I really am sorry. It’s just so funny. I mean, I was worried about our 5-year-old girl finding out the truth about Santa, when I should’ve been worried about my thousand-year-old girl”

Brunnhilde glowered at you. “Not funny”

“Oh, but it is… it’s  _hilarious_ ”

“We shall never speak of this again”

“Wrong. I’m gonna bring this up  _constantly_ ”, you purred, rolling your tongue over the last word.

You threw your arms around her neck and started peppering her face with kisses, as she pretended to be annoyed.

“I strongly dislike you”

“Wrong again, you love me”, you beamed, at which she rolled her eyes.

“And what makes you sure of it?”

“I just know”, you chirped, pressing your lips against hers. “Also, you told me. Like, 5 minutes ago”

Brunnhilde took your bottom lip between her teeth and tugged it gently. “Fine, you win. You are the light of my life”, she admitted. “Honestly, I don’t understand why the idea of our daughter resembling you caused you to worry. I have yet to meet someone who’s as hard-headed - and annoying - as you are. And I’ve travelled the Universe”

“I know”, you smirked, as she pulled you closer.

She locked her eyes into yours, as she traced your lips with her finger. You could barely feel her touch, but it was enough to send shivers down your spine.

“And yet, all those millennia without you have been meaningless compared to the years we’ve spent together”.

You smiled back, giving her a teasing wink. “Seems to me that I got you for good”

In all response, she gave you the most serious look. “You did. My heart is forever and utterly yours”

As she pulled you into an even tighter embrace, all she could hear was your soft murmur against the shell of her ear.

“Hear, hear… your friend Santa nailed it again. That was  _exactly_  what was written in my Christmas list”


End file.
